ADP in the News | April 11, 2017 Edition

by American Democracy Project on April 11, 2017

ADP in the News is a compilation of brief updates about American Democracy Project (ADP) activities at participating colleges and universities and is a semi-regular news feature on our blog. Below you will find the latest edition of this series.

If you have an ADP event you’d like posted in this format, please email adp@aascu.org.

FHSU Town Hall focuses on Concealed Handgun Policy Exemption

A 4/12 town hall meeting, hosted by SGA and the FHSU ADP will focus on Fort Hays State University’s policy on concealed carry of handguns on campus. July 1 is the expiration date for the exemption period in which FHSU and other Kansas Board of Regents schools were allowed to prohibit concealed carry of handguns into public campus buildings, including academic and residence halls. The university’s general counsel will lead a panel discussion of the law and FHSU policy. Other members of the panel are Christina Hurtado, director of residential life; Ed Howell, director of University Police; Kenton Olliff, assistant vice president for student affairs; Dr. Bryan Bennett, assistant professor of political science; Emily Brandt, president of the Student Government Association; and Brent Hirsch, director of legislative affairs for the SGA. Read more here.

ADP Staff Citizenship Award at Illinois State University

Erik Rankin, a faculty member in the department of politics and government, will the inaugural recipient of the Staff Citizenship Award, one of a slate of new awards introduced this year by the Illinois State University American Democracy Project. Learn more here.

Indiana University South Bend hosts panel on Contacting Elected Officials

“Reach out, be respectful and do your homework.” That was the advice from the third event in a six-week Civic Leadership Academy series of events about civic leadership skills organized by IUSB’s American Democracy Project. The event featured four Democrats and one Republican. Upcoming topics include: 4/12: The Legislative Process: Influencing Local, State and National Policy Debates; 4/19: Making Your Voice Heard; and 4/26 Solving Community Problems: A Step-by-step Guide to Civic Leadership. Learn more here.

TAMU – Central Texas Warrior Week includes ADP Event

The American Democracy Project Provost Lecture Series included a lecture on Poverty is The New Majority. More here.

Kayley Corley, a political science major at UAFS says “Every day I was encouraged to find and use my political voice. My grandparents emphasized that every citizen was required to be a part-time politician in order for democracy to be efficient.” She has honed her political voice through SGA and the campus chapter of ADP. Through ADP she represented UAFS in Up to Us, a nationwide competition between college campuses to raise awareness of the national debt. “The American Democracy Project serves not only students, but also the community of Fort Smith. I really found my niche in those places here on campus.” Learn more here.

ADP’s New Digital Polarization Initiative featured in EdSurge article

“Interest in teaching digital and information literacy at colleges seems to have spiked since the political rise of Donald Trump, according to a new survey.

One example of a college-led digital literacy project started since the election is the Digital Polarization Initiative, run by Mike Caulfield, director of blended and networked learning at Washington State University Vancouver, with support from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’s American Democracy Project.

‘This is not just about information literacy, by the way. It’s not about digital literacy either. Certainly, those things are involved, but that’s the starting point,’ writes Caulfield, in a blog post. ‘The point is to get students to understand the mechanisms and biases of Facebook and Twitter in ways that most digital literacy programs never touch. The point is not to simply decode what’s out there, but to analyze what is missing from our current online environment, and, if possible supply it.’

The American Democracy Project (ADP) is a multi-campus initiative focused on public higher education’s role in preparing the next generation of informed, engaged citizens for our democracy. The project began in 2003 as an initiative of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), in partnership with The New York Times.

The goal of the American Democracy Project is to produce graduates who are committed to being knowledgeable, involved citizens in their communities. Since its inception, ADP has hosted 13 national and 18 regional meetings, a national assessment project, and hundreds of campus initiatives including voter education and registration, curriculum revision projects, campus audits, special days of action and reflection, speaker series and many recognition and award programs.